IND vs AUS | Felt like I was making my debut again, claims Ravichandran Ashwin

When the pandemic struck, no one would have really thought that the sport would find its way back the way it did. A successful season of Indian Premier League notwithstanding, it was the perfect appetizer for the fans to see two of the biggest powerhouses of the sport locking horns with each other under lights. 

R Ashwin, for whom a lot was at stake right from the beginning, it was a completely different feeling and picking four wickets, including that of Steve Smith, was the cherry on the cake. Ashwin was ecstatic and was over the moon at the end of the day and claimed that it was like making his debut all over again.

"I am so happy we are playing Test cricket again. I didn't imagine it sometime back that we would be playing Test cricket again with what was happening around us. For me, being extremely mad about the sport and still doing a lot of work even during the lockdown, it just felt so refreshing to go there and have a bowl,” Ashwin said at the end of the second day, reported ESPNCricinfo.

“The feeling was great. Pink-ball Test and all that. Just felt amazing to go out there. I felt like I was making my debut again. I enjoyed my bowling."

On the opening day, Nathan Lyon had his tails up to unsettle Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli for a considerable amount of time. As Ashwin picked four important wickets today, the comparison was inevitable about their style and craft but the Tamil Nadu man rubbished those opinions.

"I think every spinner is different. I think sometimes things can get blown out of context when comparisons are made with how one approaches his trade in comparison with the other. Even in this Test, Nathan and I bowl very differently. We are both very different bowlers. Successful in our own way.

"For me it is about trying to change it up and make it difficult for the batsman to be able to defend and also score at the same time. Sometimes when you are playing just four bowlers, especially away, my trade is just to hold one end up and rotate the fast bowlers at the other end and also go for wickets if I do get enough assistance or early wickets. For me it is extremely important to make it as difficult as possible for the batsman to defend."